Texas Tech: A Premier Military-Friendly Institution

With the impending troop drawdown, the Military and Veterans Program assists veterans
with college career.

The MVP staff makes sure student veterans and their families achieve academic and
personal success at the university.

With the impending troop drawdown from the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, some military
veterans are left contemplating their next moves in life. Should a veteran choose
the college route, Texas Tech and its Military and Veterans Program (MVP) can assist in the often hectic college-entry process.

Texas Tech’s MVP program, part of the Division of Institutional Diversity, Equity
and Community Engagement, was created only 18 months ago but already has become a
staple at the university.

“We are here to make sure student veterans and their families achieve academic and
personal success here,” said Ryan Van Dusen, the assistant director of the MVP program.
“It really gives veterans a primary point of contact on campus. We make sure to get
them the right resources, and basically are advocates for them on campus and help
them to get pointed in the right direction.”

Appreciation for Service

The program also helps assist veterans off campus by keeping them informed about
several agencies around town that offer services to veterans free of charge or at
a minimal cost.

Texas Tech currently has around 300 faculty and staff who are military veterans.

“On top of that, almost everyone you talk to on campus has some sort of connection
to the military,” Van Dusen said. “There is an appreciation for service here. I always
ask veterans why they came to Texas Tech, and they always say ‘Because people care
about my service, and you can tell they care.’”

Van Dusen said the MVP program is comprised of three professional staff members:
himself, a military veteran, and two others, Debra Crosby and Bernice Flett, who
have worked in veteran services for most of their careers. There also are seven student
assistants, all military veterans, who are very knowledgeable because they are on
the same path as the students who are coming in for assistance.

This type of program is not available at every college and Van Dusen said more colleges
don’t have them than do have them.

The MVP program serves around 1,300 military veterans or veteran dependents, and
Van Dusen said even more could be on campus who are not self-identifying, may be
in graduate school or law school, or have already used their benefits. A recent trend
he has seen take place is many students not knowing they are eligible for benefits.

University Patriotism

“We are seeing some of our biggest growth with the Hazlewood Act, which is a state
bill that waives up to 150 hours of tuition and fees, and Texas veterans can transfer
those benefits to their qualifying dependents,” Van Dusen said. “We are having so
many veterans’ children who are coming to Tech that don’t know that they have this
benefit. They first find out about it when they come to orientation.”

Monty Trimble, a senior electrical engineering major from Pampa, and president of
the Veteran’s Association, said the staff at the MVP office are not only trained to process forms from the
university but also from the Veterans Administration that oversees veteran educational
programs.

Trimble, who retired from the Navy as a Chief Petty Officer in 1995, said by having
one place to take care of issues that arise in the education process, veterans aren’t
spending a lot of time going between several different offices. That helps greatly
reduce the stress of entering college, he said.

Van Dusen said Texas is a great state for veterans to attend college because laws
allow out-of-state veterans to possibly still be eligible for in-state tuition. The
state is also very patriotic, and patriotism shown by citizens carries over to the
university campus, he added.

“I have been to other campuses and seen where veterans get pushed in a back room
or in a hallway somewhere to get their information processed,” Van Dusen said. “Here
people truly care about their success, and I see that over and over again. They made
the decision to come here because they were so welcome.”

The mission is to provide exceptional support and facilitation to students, faculty
and staff for all issues related to the military and veterans. We are a support agency committed to enabling students to achieve their academic
goals through campus and community wide resources with a one-stop problem resolution
philosophy. Our success is measured by degree completion. We are dedicated to serving
those who served.